Posted on 03/25/2005 11:26:07 AM PST by TexasRainmaker
If there is anything positive that can result from the avalanche of media attention on the case of Terri Schiavo, perhaps it's that more people will become educated on the importance of Advanced Directives.
There are several types of Advanced Directives that can be constructed.
Living Will
A living will only comes into effect when you are terminally ill. Being terminally ill generally means that you have less than six months to live. In a living will, you can describe the kind of treatment you want in certain situations. A living will doesn't let you select someone to make decisions for you.
Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare
A durable power of attorney (DPA) for health care is another kind of advance directive. A DPA states whom you have chosen to make health care decisions for you. It becomes active any time you are unconscious or unable to make medical decisions. A DPA is generally more useful than a living will. But a DPA may not be a good choice if you don't have another person you trust to make these decisions for you.Living wills and DPAs are legal in most states. Even if they aren't officially recognized by the law in your state, they can still guide your loved ones and doctor if you are unable to make decisions about your medical care. Ask your doctor, lawyer or state representative about the law in your state.
Do Not Resuscitate Order
A do not resuscitate (DNR) order is another kind of Advance Directive. A DNR is a request not to have cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if your heart stops or if you stop breathing. (Unless given other instructions, hospital staff will try to help all patients whose heart has stopped or who have stopped breathing.) You can use an Advance Directive form or tell your doctor that you don't want to be resuscitated. In this case, a DNR order is put in your medical chart by your doctor. DNR orders are accepted by doctors and hospitals in all states.
While most Advance Directives are written by older or critically ill people (ie. someone with terminal cancer might write that he does not want to be put on a respirator if he stops breathing), you might still want to consider writing an advance directive if you're young and in good health (Terri Schiavo was 26). An accident or serious illness can happen suddenly, and if you already have a signed advance directive, your wishes are more likely to be followed.
Advance directives do not have to be complicated legal documents. They can be short, simple statements about what you want done or not done if you can't speak for yourself. Remember, anything you write by yourself or with a computer software package should follow your state laws (here's a list of forms by state). You may also want to have what you have written reviewed by your doctor or a lawyer to make sure your directives are understood exactly as you intended. When you are satisfied with your directives, the orders should be notarized if possible, and copies should be given to your family and your doctor.
Let's make a difference. Once you've completed your Advance Directive, go to Generation Why? and leave a comment telling others just how easy it was and together we can make sure that others don't have to go through what Terri Schiavo and her family are going through.
SO many different doctors have said so many different things about Terri.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1370458/posts?page=1
You mean, you're concerned that the doctor would intentionally misdiagnose? What's his motivation?
The misdiagnosis can come from a personal philospophy of what kind of life is worth living, or from a triage-like consideration that others are waiting for an empty bed. It is hard to keep philosophical and economic considerations from a medical diagnosis in extremis.
Just for the record, if I were in Terri's condition, I would like to be fed and given water.
I really wish there was a way to guarantee your protection.
I wouldn't sign anything without a pro-life attorney in your state looking at it. The Power of Attorney you mentioned would carry no more weight than the Directive, perhaps even less unless the specifics in the Directive are included in the POA.
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